There are 2 things that everyone engaged in biblical pastoral care needs:
The first is a Bible. No surprises there. It’s God’s living and active word (Hebrews 4:12) that transforms us by the renewing of our mind (Romans 12:2). It’s pretty hard to be biblical without a Bible and any pastoral care that ignores the Bible runs a high risk of being little more than well-meant common wisdom.
The second is less well known. It is my contention and humble assertion that anyone involved in pastoral work needs a hippo. Not necessarily a real one - that could be cumbersome - but a small, unobtrusive toy or model hippo has value beyond measure.
Just in case the significance of a hippo isn’t immediately obvious, please allow me to explain.... continue reading
Recently seen on the front of a Bible. And we thought it worth passing on ...
If you want to:
...Please keep me firmly and permanently closed.
The internet has boundless potential to surprise. Each week we stumble across bizarre, thought-provoking or just plain weird sites. My favourite find of the last few days (courtesy of an evangelistic talk given at my church pub quiz) is The Death Clock. Now, it’s probably fair to say that this is not a site to visit if you are already feeling melancholy! But how it works is this … you type in your age, gender and a couple of indicative health facts and the death clock calculator guestimates the date of your death. Then (and this is most intriguing bit) it calculates how many seconds you have left to live, starts a clock and you can quite literally see your life ticking away …... continue reading
After yesterday's suggestions on how to get it wrong - here are a few suggestions on how to get it right! Let's take our lead from the message the angels gave to the shepherds:
"Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people." Luke 2 v 10
1. It's Good News…
People will be scurrying around and fretting to get everything done - you may be one of them. But let's keep Jesus at the centre of what it is all about. How about:
These are all things that I find it very easy to do each December, regret in January, and then repeat the next Christmastime…
1. Be more excited about presents than Jesus. It’s great to think more about what we give to others than what we receive from them. But ultimately, Christmas isn’t about us giving, it’s about us receiving—receiving the precious gift of the Lord Jesus. All of which we know. But all of which we find easy to forget in our excitement at Christmastime.
2. Leave the Carol and Christmas morning services straight away. You may have family and mulled wine and turkey to go back home for. Chances are, there’s someone sitting in those services who doesn’t—who has only an empty home to return to. Why not plan to stick around for twenty minutes after the services, to be a friend to anyone who has nothing to rush off for? Why not prepare some extra mulled wine or cook some extra turkey in preparation for meeting them?... continue reading
So how do we tackle our own laziness and send it packing?
Go to the ant, you sluggard;
consider its ways and be wise!
It has no commander,
no overseer or ruler,
yet it stores its provisions in summer
and gathers its food at harvest.
How long will you lie there, you sluggard?
When will you get up from your sleep?
(Proverbs 6 v 6-9)
Ever watched an ant at work? To make an ant-hill, each little piece of soil has to be carried by an ant to the top of the mound. That’s a huge number of trips up and down. And even though the ant has no boss keeping an eye on it, it doesn’t stop until the work is finished. God wants us to use our time wisely. That means working hard. It means doing stuff for other people, not just pleasing ourselves.... continue reading
The BBC news website has published a collection of reader’s stories about being single. This grew out of an initial radio broadcast and article about why couples are “so mean” to singletons. As a result most of the stories defend the advantages of being single.
What struck me was how self-focused most of their comments are. A big emphasis on freedom to do what you like when you like. The lack of ties and duty. A smorgasbord of sexual partners to choose from. Avoiding the stresses of being in a difficult relationship.
This is such a contrast to the biblical view. Yes, there are times when other Christians are tactless or even hurtful. But the Bible isn’t!... continue reading
The role that Justin Welby is about to take on is huge. And whether you're Anglican or not, his appointment as the new Archbishop of Canterbury is an important event. His influence will be wide. His opinions well-reported in the press. His words and actions will bear heavily on the unity, direction and integrity of the Anglican communion and it's 77 million members. And that reflects on Christians everywhere.
So, it's important that we pray. And then pray again for him. But how do we pray for him? Here are 5 suggestions:
1. Faithfulness in belief
We shouldn't be naive. It's hard to be faithful when forces from inside the church and out are urging you to put forward a watered-down gospel. So let's pray he stands firm (Philippians 1:27). If there are areas in his life where he has wandered away from God's truth, let's pray that God will draw him back. And let's pray he'll be bold enough to teach what's true even when that's desperately counter cultural (Psalm 86:11).... continue reading
I admit it, I am feeling just a little bit pleased with myself.
Why?
Because last Saturday, I achieved a Personal Best for my weekly 5 kilometre run.
I joined the brilliant Parkrun scheme earlier this year, when I decided I needed to do something extra to fight the middle-aged flab. And the experience has proven trying, testing, exhilarating and painful. The Parkrun scheme operates at hundreds of parks worldwide, is entirely staffed by volunteers, and does one simple thing really, really well. At 9am on Saturday morning all over the world, someone says "Go", and everybody runs for 5,000 meters.
OK, I admit that 31 minutes 12 seconds does not exactly put me in an Olympian category. And truth to tell, I can't really call it a personal best because I would never have made it on my own.... continue reading
This movie tells a remarkable tale based on real-life events. After the Iranian revolution of 1979, the US embassy in Tehran is taken over by angry pro-Ayatollah students who hold its inhabitants hostage. Six of the embassy's workers escape and are hidden by Canadian diplomats. Back in the US, CIA agent Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck) is tasked with extracting them from this hostile country before they're discovered by Revolutionary Guards.
But how to do the seemingly impossible? Out of all the implausible plans on the table, they pick the least likely of the lot — to create a fake sci fi movie called Argo (a Star wars knock-off). The idea is that Ben Affleck acts as the producer of this movie sent to scout locations in the middle east. The hidden embassy workers would play the film's Canadian crew before being smuggled out of the country.... continue reading
